Label literacy
What Is TDS in Bottled Water?
TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids — the combined weight of every dissolved mineral, salt and trace compound in the water. It's measured in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or parts per million (ppm). The numbers are equivalent.
Typical TDS ranges
- Distilled / reverse osmosis water — under 10 mg/L
- Purified bottled water (Aquafina, Dasani) — 10–60 mg/L
- Light spring water (Poland Spring, Crystal Geyser) — 50–200 mg/L
- Premium still water (Evian, FIJI) — 200–400 mg/L
- Moderate mineral water (S.Pellegrino, Perrier) — 400–1,200 mg/L
- High mineral water (Gerolsteiner, Borjomi) — 1,500–6,000 mg/L
Is high TDS bad for you?
For mineral water, high TDS just means more dissolved calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate — generally good. For tap water, very high TDS can indicate contamination depending on the source. The WHO considers up to 1,000 mg/L of tap water acceptable for daily drinking and notes mineral waters can safely exceed that.
How TDS is measured
Lab method: evaporate the water, weigh the residue. Field method: a conductivity meter estimates TDS from electrical conductivity (more dissolved ions = more conductivity). Field meters are approximate but useful for quick comparisons.
Frequently asked questions
What is a healthy TDS for drinking water?
There's no single ideal. Most palatable drinking waters fall between 50 and 600 mg/L; mineral waters intentionally go higher for nutritional minerals.
Does TDS affect taste?
Yes — higher TDS waters taste more pronounced, with noticeable mineral character. Very low TDS waters taste flat or 'empty' to many drinkers.
Instant PDF. Every major brand ranked by pH, minerals, source and taste.
What should you do next?
Continue with the most relevant guides, comparisons and data for this topic.